


A Taste of Reliving

by st_valentinus



Category: Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-08
Updated: 2013-09-08
Packaged: 2017-12-26 00:33:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,483
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/959451
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/st_valentinus/pseuds/st_valentinus
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A year after he met Noelle, Jack decides to return for a much needed visit. He ends up going through a lot more than he ever expected to.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Taste of Reliving

**Author's Note:**

> Well this sequel was finally written after a sudden hit of inspiration! Definitely not 'Charcoal and Snow Breeze', but I believe it to be satisfying, nonetheless.

Jack smiled largely as he flew over the busy park, watching as the children had their usual snowball fights—everyone was loud and excited and it made the young Guardian feel enthusiastic. He looked at everyone’s faces carefully, observing each to find the one familiar face he knew in Monroe County—Noelle. It had been nearly a full year since he had seen her, nearly a full year since he met the young woman who made his heart want to beat its way out of his chest. Jack felt terrible for having only seen her a couple times after their first meeting, but being a Guardian was a pretty busy job (not that he wanted to use that as an excuse) and took up a lot of his time. Of course, he liked to travel between different cities and towns and had stopped in Monroe County as often as he could manage, but nearly each time he couldn’t find Noelle. And trying to stop anywhere in the middle of summer usually led to an uproar of confusion in the people.

After some time, Jack took a moment to sit in a tall tree and watch the people. He couldn’t find Noelle. And he hadn’t been able to any other time he’s tried. Jack relaxed as he listened to the children playing, listened to the yells and laughs—maybe he should get in on the game. He looked at the battle below him, watched the children for a few moments. Yes, maybe he could take just a little bit of time to play with them before he continued his search.

So, Jack dove to the ground and immediately began to form snowballs as he smiled to the children, even if they couldn’t see him. He took certain opportunities to throw his “weapons” as he moved around the battle, helped the different kids in their efforts—this is what he always loved.

But all too quickly, the number of children began to dwindle down—it was getting late and parents wanted their children home. Jack frowned at the loss of entertainment, and it only reminded him of his initial goal for visiting this particular town. He would spend some more time searching before he gave up for the evening.

Jack waited an hour or so in the park, perking up at the slightest sight of any human, but always ended up disappointed—none were Noelle. None would ever be Noelle. He was about to give up, but then realized how stupid he could be for not having visited her house once; it seemed that was the obvious answer. Where else could she be?

So, with his hopes rising, Jack quickly made his way to her small, welcoming house. Just as he remembered, the outside was decorated with lights and wreaths, the front window had its curtains open to show off the beautiful, large tree. It made Jack smile, it filled him with warmth.

He flew his way up to Noelle’s bedroom window and peaked inside, only seeing darkness and bareness—books were missing from the shelves, posters were gone, little knick knacks were no longer in sight. It quickly made Jack assume the worst as he forced the window open and jump inside. He moved around the room quickly, picking up items and looking around; Noelle couldn’t be… _gone_? Jack gapped as he looked around in disbelief. He felt conflicted, confused. He didn’t know what to do.

At hearing movement in the hallway, Jack looked up and listened. He could hear muffled voices and footsteps as Noelle’s parents moved past the door. With peeked curiosity, he quickly made his way to the door and waited a few moments before stepping out, following behind the old couple as they walked down the staircase.

“She told me she shipped the package nearly a week ago.” Noelle’s mother said simply as they walked into the kitchen, “She said we had to call her as soon as we got it.”

The older man smiled as he sat at the table, “Well, she doesn’t want a repeat of what happened during my birthday.” The woman laughed at the memory. With a raised eyebrow, Jack sat on the top of the fridge and watched the two.

“As long as you can remember to call I think we’ll be in good shape.” The woman opened a cabinet and pulled out a box of cookies, “We need to mail her presents really soon.”

“If they’re all wrapped I can bring them with me tomorrow on my way to work if you’d like.” Noelle’s father replied, getting a smile from his wife.

“I’ll take care of shipping them—I haven’t wrapped any yet.” The couple laughed simple.

“Maybe we should start tonight; it’ll be faster that way.” Jack looked between the two in confusion—could they be talking about Noelle? Where could she have gone? Obviously, he felt reassured that she wasn’t… “gone,” but now he was confused.

“If you’ll get the supplies.” The man nodded as he stood again, leaving the room to go to a hall closet and get a bag of presents and wrapping tools. He carefully brought it all back to the kitchen and set everything on the table, “Could you also get the address book? I can never remember where specifically these need to be shipped to.” He then walked to a draw and pulled out a large book with some pages coming loose. As the man flipped through it, Jack jumped down from his seat and hovered over the man’s shoulder.

Noelle’s father shivered some as he looked around the room, “Do you feel a draft in here?” his wife shrugged. “I’ll have to check that out later…” Jack chuckled some as he watched the movement of the man’s hand until finally he stopped, “Here it is.” He set the book down in front of his wife. Jack moved over to the book and read the address written in it.

“Seattle, Washington?” he muttered in confusion, “What is she doing there?” Jack tried to memorize the address—he knew how large Seattle was, it wouldn’t be very easy to just find her—but that would but that would be difficult. He then looked around, “If I borrowed paper would they notice?”

“Hon, I think you’re right about that draft.” The woman said as she began to pull out some of the presents. Jack watched the two before he moved to the same drawer the book came from and opened it only slightly to check for paper and something to write with. Slowly, he pulled out a sheet of paper and grabbed a pen, setting them on the floor—could the couple still see the items even as he held them? He wasn’t sure. Better safe than sorry. So, he moved them carefully across the floor and toward the table, where he began to copy the address out of their little book. Once he had it all written down, Jack quickly flew out of the house.

* * *

Jack glided over the crowd of people as he took in his surroundings—surprisingly enough, he never took many opportunities to actually look at Seattle as often as he came here. His particular location was interesting—it was a college campus. He felt a little dumb for not figuring it out sooner why Noelle could have been in Seattle, but now that he was here he realized that she was a college student now. It was strange to him—it made Noelle seem ten times older than she was and it… intimidated him, if only a little (or a lot, but would he admit to that?).

Jack flew around the many dorm buildings, looking for Noelle among the students—the address her parents had wasn’t entirely specific on which dorm she was in, so he couldn’t be sure where to find her. He couldn’t even be sure that he would find her at all, but he was determined to.

Jack waited, moved constantly so he could find Noelle. He was going to find her, he knew he could, it would just take time. The campus was a crowded place with many young women that caused Jack to take a second glance to be sure they weren’t the one he was looking for. He was there for a long while, much longer than he probably should have, as he had a job to do, but he wanted to find Noelle to at least know where to find her again.

And then, he saw her. As the sun was setting the number of students in the area was shrinking, Jack spotted Noelle walking with another girl toward one of the dormitories. With a wide smile and wide eyes, Jack rushed toward her, but halt, giving her and her friend some distance; he couldn’t just fly in the middle of their conversation without making Noelle look a little crazy. So, he followed behind them for a few moments before he finally stopped, knowing he needed to get her attention.

“Noelle.” He called, not too loudly so it wouldn’t surprise her. She quickly looked up in confusion.

“Did you hear that?” she asked her companion as she looked over her left shoulder.

“What? The music from the West Dorm or the yelling from that group of people?” her friend responded simply. Noelle shook her head as Jack smiled.

“Noelle, to your right.” He said, causing her to turn and look him in the face. Her eyes widened, her jaw dropped as she stared at him for a moment. Jack waved simply, grinning smally at her reaction. Quickly, Noelle looked to her friend.

“I’ll be in in a minute, alright? I gotta take care of something?” the other woman raised her eyebrow.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to wait?”

“I’m sure—I won’t be too long, just leave the door unlocked.” With a smile, her friend left. Noelle waited a moment before walking toward Jack.

“Long time no see.” Jack greeted as he made his way toward her. She definitely looked different—there was more maturity in her face, something new in the way she walked. He liked it.

Noelle looked around herself as she signalled Jack to follow her. He obediently did so, following her around the corner of a building toward a small collection of trees.

“Do you think you can get me up there?” she asked, giving him a slight smile. With a nod, Jack took her hands and excitedly flew up into one of the tallest trees, making sure no one could see them. The two settled themselves.

“So, how’ve you been?” Jack asked simply. Noelle laughed lightly as she stared at him, still in a state of shock.

“Busy, very busy.” She said, “Why did you wait a year to visit me again?” Jack shrugged innocently.

“I’ve been busy, too.” He replied, “I tried stopping by your old home a few times, but I hadn’t been able to find you. And now I know why.” He gave his friend a smile as she looked at her hands, “You look different.”

Noelle gave him curious eyes, “I hope it’s a good kind of different. You look… the same, but I didn’t expect anything else.”  The two were silent for a few long moments, a strange emptiness in the air between them.

“So, uh… what have you been doing around here?”

“Well, I’m here to study art.” Jack nodded as he watched his changed friend, “I mean, I’ve mostly just been studying academic classes this year, but they’ve kept me busy. I also have a job.”

Jack perked up in interesting, leaning toward Noelle, “What kind of job?”

“I’m working at a restaurant on campus, it’s nothing special really.”

“I would have thought you’d get a job doing art.” Noelle laughed, holding her hand in front of her mouth.

“Definitely not, Jack—a successful career in art is difficult, it’ll take me years to find something remotely decent.” Jack looked at her curiously.

“But everyone loves art.” He said simply. Noelle shook her head at his naivety.

“People may love it, but that doesn’t mean just anyone can find success in it.” Jack made a face of understanding while looking around.

I see…” he glanced at her dorm building, “So, who’s your friend?”

“That was Ruby—she’s my roommate. She’s studying to be an elementary teacher and we have a couple classes together.” Noelle replied as she bit her lip, “This is… different than last year.”

Jack raised an eyebrow, “I guess; we’re different than we were.” Noelle shook her head.

“You haven’t changed at all, at least from what I can tell.” She said, “It’s… well, doesn't this even feel a little difficult?” Jack stared for a moment.

“Well… maybe…” he muttered, feeling a sense of awkward rising in him.

“A year changes things I guess…” Noelle began to think deeply.

“Something else is on your mind.” Jack said as he tried to look her in the eye, “You can tell me.”

Noelle looked up at him with a small frown, “Jack, I’ve missed you—it’s been a year—but I’ve changed as a person since then. I…well, you’re not a… human anymore, and your obligations are first to the children across the globe and I need to give all my attention to school and into forming a life for myself.”

Jack gave her a bit of a confused look, “I have a feeling you don’t want to tell me what you’re thinking…”

“I don’t, but I have to. Like I said, I have to start really thinking about my future and… you’re not in it.” The two sat in a thick silence as things began to sink in for Jack, “I just need to start thinking about myself and real people.” He stared in realization; Noelle wanted to forget about him, didn’t want him in her life anymore.

“Real people… gotcha…” he muttered as he looked away with a frown.

Noelle sighed, “I’m sorry, but… it was great to see you again, it really, truly was. Now, though, I just need to think about other things.” Jack kept his gaze away from hers.

“I should go.” Jack began to float in front of Noelle as he offered his hands to her for the last time, “Let me get you down.” Silently, Noelle put her warm hands in his and the two were quickly on the ground.

“Jack—”

He looked at her for a moment, “You don’t need to explain anymore, Noe.” Noelle’s heart caught for a moment at the nickname, “I’ll… bye.” Before Noelle could speak further, Jack was gone, leaving her alone with her thoughts.

* * *

Jack sat on the top of the Space Needle, watching the city below deep in thought. Noelle was done with him. After the time he spent trying to find her again, she didn’t want to see him anymore. She was  _grown up_ now. He should have expected this, but he didn’t wanted to embrace it. With a large sigh, he looked up to the Moon.

“What am I supposed to do, Manny?” he asked exasperated. He should forget about it, Jack knew that much, but he just couldn’t forget about it, couldn’t just forget someone as impactful as she was. Jack didn’t get a response, but he knew the Man in the Moon was listening, “She wants to spend her time with real people, I can respect that, but she wants to just forget me. Heck, I want to spend time with real people, too, but I don’t get that option.”

Jack sat silently for a few moments, thinking, before a thought hit him. He looked up at the Moon with wide, excited eyes, “Manny, I got a crazy request here… but, is there any possible way I can become human?”

* * *

The casual restaurant was extra crowded tonight, being a Saturday in such a popular city. College students flooded the building, causing it to be excessively loud and excessively cramped feeling. Noelle was part of it, sitting at a large table with five other students, laughing and joking like everyone else. With Ruby as a roommate, she quickly became accustom to going out and meeting new people—she was surprised to say that she actually enjoyed herself. She was beginning to meet more people, beginning to actually, comfortably talk to others; it made her feel accomplished. And on that note, she was beginning to enjoy the company of the attractive blond man sitting across the table…

“Noelle,” the voice behind her surprised the young woman, causing her and Ruby to turn around and look at whomever was there. Noelle stared a moment, surprised by the likeness the man had to Jack—same face and body type entirely, but he lacked the white-silver hair and striking blue eyes. Yet, the feeling she got from him was familiar… but it couldn’t be Jack.

“Who’s the friend?” Ruby interrupted Noelle’s thoughts. She quickly looked over at her roommate then at the look alike.

“I’m Jack.” He said simply, causing Noelle’s eyes to widen as he took Ruby’s hand, “Nice to meet you.”

It couldn’t be Jack. No, not _Jack Frost_. What happened to the hair? And why could people see him? What was going on?

“What are you doing here?” Noelle tried to ask casually as she stood. Jack merely gave her a smile.

“I thought I’d visit, you know, spend time with real people.” He said simply with a wink.

“So,” both looked at Ruby, “how do you two know each other?”

Jack slung his arm casually over Noelle’s shoulder, “We know each other from back in Pennsylvania.” Noelle felt stiff, awkward, _extremely_ confused. How the hell was he doing this? She quickly pulled out from under his arm.

“Can I talk to you in private?” she asked and began walking before getting an answer. Jack obediently followed, a smile across his face while doing so.

“I really missed being human—everyone can see me and hear me and interact with me!” He joyously jumped as Noelle led them to a corner of the restaurant.

“Please explain to me how the hell you’re doing this.” She said quickly. Jack continued to grin largely.

“I negotiated with the Man in the Moon.”

Noelle raised an eyebrow, “He made you human again? I thought you loved what you did; I thought you accepted your new life.” Jack finally took a moment to look at Noelle’s expression and behaviour, which caused him to frown some.

“This isn’t exactly the reaction I was expecting…”

“What were you expecting, Jack?”

“I thought you’d love the idea of me being human; you said you didn’t see me in your future, said you needed to start spending time with and focusing on real people, so… I thought to be real.” Noelle pressed her palm to her forehead as she thought, “I just… I don’t know…”

“What are you other Guardians gonna do without you?”

Jack held up his hands as his eyes widened, “Oh, no, I’m only human for a week.” He clarified in a rushed tone, “Just enough time to experience it again, enough time to be human with you.”

“Enough time to become depressed once you become _the_ Jack Frost again.” Noelle said before she sighed. She looked down at the ground, gnawing on the inside of her lip before taking a glance up at Jack, “Enough time to be human with me…” she muttered just loud enough for him to hear, “You’re a sap, you know that?”

Jack grinned a little, seeing the smile tugging at the corner of Noelle’s lips, “Are you upset?”

Noelle looked him in the eyes for a few moments before she shook her head, “I was never upset; more… boggled than anything else.” She replied simply, “I thought you wouldn’t want to see me again after I basically told you I was done with you. But instead you became human.” She chuckled lightly, “You realize this will only make things worse?”

“Now, you don’t know that.” Jack said as his eyes seemed to sparkle with restored happiness, “Maybe this will only make things better.” Noelle gave him a doubtful look.

“I don’t know how things will turn out after this… but you might as well enjoy your time as a human…” Jack’s smile grew wider as Noelle held her hand out to him, “Now you get to see what it’s like to be a young adult in the 21st Century.”

Jack put his hand in Noelle, letting her tug him along. He knew he wouldn’t be with her forever, he knew things couldn’t last, and he knew this was their last week together. But he also knew he’d cherish this week, remember it forever. He’d let the sadness sink in later, for now, he had a girl to spend some much needed time with.


End file.
